From the Neighborhood to the Stage

Savannah, Georgia, native Quando Rondo used two 2018 releases, *Life B4 Fame* and *Life After Fame*, to make a name for himself in pain music—the blues-influenced realm of nontraditional singers like Boosie, Lil Durk, and Rondo\'s Never Broke Again label head, YoungBoy NBA. With *From the Neighborhood to the Stage*, Rondo is past the point where he needs YoungBoy to boost the signal (the Louisiana rapper is absent from this tape), stepping out on his own to sing about about the stresses of chasing a dream while trying to escape his hardscrabble past. Production-wise, the album is heavy on funky basslines, moody organ stabs, and dramatic piano riffs, all of which provide the perfect backdrop for Rondo’s songs of survival.

Savannah, Georgia rapper Quando Rondo developed quickly on his mixtapes, polishing up his mesh of Auto-Tuned hooks and melodic delivery.